This ad appeared in a local newspaper about a month ago: Up for auction in Norton, Ohio: Physician's office furniture, patient files and records. It was an advertisement from one of those "store your stuff" places; apparently Sophia Coen, retired Ob/Gyn, hadn't paid her rent.
My sister-in-law (a hospital credentialer) showed me the ad. We talked about who should contact the owner of the storage business to advise them about HIPAA, etc. Her supervisor called. She was quickly assured that none of the doctor's records would be auctioned and that he had received "many calls."
Now there's a follow up article in the Akron Beacon Journal (even commented on by Compliance Monitor, a national healthcare publication from HcPro.)
And it appears that Dr. Coen may end up with more problems than back rent. Patients have been requesting, and in some cases even paying for copies of their records, but haven't received them. This issue is one of real concern for retiring physicians:
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), patients have the legal right to get copies of their medical files, as well as to keep others from viewing the information.
In most cases, the law calls for patients to get their records within 30 days after the request is made, or within 60 days if the files are stored at an off-site location.
Anyone who violates HIPAA rules can be fined a maximum of $25,000 per year and face possible criminal charges.
Read: Women waiting for medical files now have hope from the Akron Beacon Journal:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/15323561.htm
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